Jason Epstein and Naomi Binkley won Man, Woman of the Year titles after 10-week fundraising campaign. (Photo by Heather Leider, Special to The Denver Post)

A 10-week fundraising campaign paid off handsomely for Rocky Mountain chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, with candidates for the Man of the Year and Woman of the Year bringing in $270,000 for blood cancer research and patient services.

The winners alone, Jason Epstein and Naomi Binkley, contributed close to $75,000 of that total and accepted their crowns at the Grand Finale Gala held May 17 at the Marriott City Center.

Epstein competed in memory of his father, David Epstein, who succumbed to blood cancer on May 14, 1998. Binkley, a fifth-generation native of Colorado, joined the race in an effort to inspire her daughters and others to find creative ways to make a difference in the lives of others.

In all, the 13 contenders raised a remarkable $269,557.99.

Three other titles were awarded that night. The Relentless Volunteerism Award went to Mark Dietz; Hannah Rice was given the Rising Star for the Mission Award and Martin Baca IV accepted the Mission Integration Award.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society supports the more than 1.1 million people in the U.S. who are living with or in remission from a blood cancer.

“Every four minutes, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with a blood cancer, says Rebecca Russell, executive director of the Rocky Mountain chapter. “We are extremely grateful to Jason and Naomi, and our other Man & Woman of the Year candidates, for their commitment to helping us fulfill our mission of finding a cure.”

Since 1954, Russell adds, the LLS has “Invested nearly $1 billion to fund research, and this is largely possible because of the dedication of leaders like Jason and Naomi to raising funding.”

Girl of the Year Natalie Borrego with Woman of the Year candidates Stacey Donaldson, left, Hannah Rice, Stephanie Mercer, Stephanie Estes and Naomi Binkley. (Heather Leider, Special to The Denver Post)

A 10-week fundraising campaign to determine who will be crowned Woman of the Year and Man of the Year by Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is at the halfway point, and it’s looking like their goal of raising $400,000 will be met.

“In 2013, our 13 candidates raised an unprecedented $363,000,” says the chapter’s executive director, Rebecca Russell. “I’m confident that the 14 we have this year will beat that.”

The winners will be announced at a Grand Finale Gala to be held May 17 at the Marriott City Center. The titles go to the man and woman raising the most money. Each dollar raised counts as one vote.

Denver residents hoping to become Woman of the Year are Naomi Binkley, founder and managing partner of Fireside Production; Stephanie Mercer, who is with Inleit Properties; Stephanie Estes; and Aiello Public Relations & Marketing chief Wendy Aiello. Hannah Rice, a high school student from Castle Rock, is vying for the title, too, as is former CBS4 meterologist Stacey Donaldson, who is now an agent with RE/MAX Alliance in Westminster.

The Boy and Girl of the Year — Charlie Hooper and Natalie Borrego — have already been crowned. They are both 7 years old and in remission from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

Charlie Hooper was diagnosed just after his third birthday. The doctors thought he had a fractured fibula and put him in a cast. When it was removed, they realized his leg was worse, not better. After a complete blood workup, they found blast cells in his blood and diagnosed him with ALL.

In 2011, Natalie developed little bruises all over her body, so her parents took her to the emergency room to see what was wrong. The doctors checked her blood, took her temperature and told her parents that she had cancer; she was diagnosed with ALL.

“Charlie and Natalie are an inspiration to all of us and serve as representatives of the many children in Colorado affected by blood cancer,” says Russell.

Last year, the Rocky Mountain chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society conducted 17 different education programs for blood cancer patients and their caregivers in the metro Denver area. The chapter also connected 192 newly diagnosed blood cancer patients to trained blood cancer survivors, providing one-to-one peer support for them. The chapter also sponsors monthly support groups.

For more information about the Man & Woman of the Year campaign, to purchase tickets to the Grand Finale Gala or to support the candidates’ efforts, visit the event website or call Caitlin Selby, 720-440-8629.

Boy of the Year Charlie Hooper with Man of the Year candidates Mark Dietz, back row left, Martin Baca, Jason Epstein and Josh Davies. Middle row: Steve Hicks, left, and Hugo Leon. (Heather Leider, Special to The Denver Post)

Thirteen candidates have begun a 10-week campaign to raise the most money for Rocky Mountain chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and thus be named Man of the Year or Woman of the Year.

The titles will be awarded May 18, at the Grand Finale Gala held at the Marriott City Center.

Candidates for Man of the Year are Denver residents Robert Fischer, Robert Padgett and Woody Roseland, who is a six-time cancer survivor. Also, Mike Waesche of Breckenridge; Steven Harris of Castle Pines; and Michael Guglielmi of Highlands Ranch, who is a high school junior and this year’s youngest candidate.

Woody Roseland, back row left, Mike Waesche and Robert Fischer also are seeking the title, along with Ashley Hodgkin, front row left, and Montine Hansl.

Those vying for Woman of the Year are Denver residents Ashley Hodgkin, Casey Carmichael, Montine Hansl, Whitney Lindsey, and Michelle Draeger, a member of the LLS board of trustees. Also, Olivia Millradt of Aurora and Peach Pagano of Boulder, who is running in honor of her brother, Chuck Pagano, head coach of the Indianapolis Colts and a leukemia survivor.

Already, 7-year-old Addison Kleinhans of Broomfield and 5-year-old Bella Hicks of Colorado Springs have been named Boy of the Year and Girl of the Year.

“Last year our group of 14 local leaders raised an unprecedented $282,000,” states Rebecca Russell, the Rocky Mountain chapter’s executive director. “Our 2013 class of candidates is our strongest yet and they have an incredible opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the nearly one million Americans living with blood cancers.”

This year’s Grand Finale Gala is being chaired by Paula Arnold, owner of Newberry Brothers, her son, Kien Arnold, and her partner, Jeff Williams. They are doing it as a tribute to the memory of their longtime friend Linda Goto, who died in November after a long bout with leukemia and lung cancer.

Kien Arnold was crowned Man of the Year in 2010 after raising nearly $46,000.

The fundraisers also include Casey Carmichael, back row left, Peach Pagano and Michelle Draeger. Candidate Michael Guglielmi is seated in front of them.

In fact, Goto and former LLS board president Sue Ellen Goss had asked the three to chair the 2013 campaign prior to Goto’s passing. “We said yes because of our cherished friendship, and today we say yes because of our cherished memories of Linda,” Paula Arnold said.

The campaign’s Executive Leadership Committee is headed by Amy Epstein Schneider, who chaired the 2012 Grand Finale Gala with her mother, Jody Epstein, and brothers Zach and Jason Epstein in honor of their late husband and father, David Epstein.

The titles are awarded solely on the amount of money raised, with every dollar raised counting as one vote. The money goes to research that investigates the causes of blood cancers and seeks better therapies, and provides information and services to patients and their families.

Local winners will go on to compete nationally.

More information about the campaign and how to support the candidates’ efforts is available online or by calling Caitlin Selby, 720-440-8629.

Gala co-chair Jody Epstein, left, with Woman of the Year Kelly Bar-Or; Sue Ellen Goss, president of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society board; Man of the Year Marc Paolicelli; Amy Epstein Schneider, also a chair of the gala; Boy of the Year Jack Selden and Girl of the Year Taylor Jones.

Right from the start, Kelly Bar-Or and Marc Paolicelli were in it to win it, and sure enough they were crowned Woman of the Year and Man of the Year at the Grand Finale Gala put on by Rocky Mountain chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

Bar-Or, a Greenwood Village resident and owner of an online toy store, raised $56,968 over the course of the 10-week campaign; she dedicated her effort to her mother, who was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago. Paolicelli, a blood cancer survivor and member of the Rocky Mountain chapter board of directors, raised $51,896.

The 2012 campaign is being chaired by Jody Epstein and her three children: Amy Schneider and Zach and Jason Epstein. Their husband and father, David Epstein, lost his battle with acute myeloid leukemia 13 years ago. “We know that David would be behind our effort to help other families … navigating the cancer journey,” Jody Epstein says. “Our intention is to truly make a difference.”